Camouflage and Markings 19 - B-29 Superfortress

Camouflage & srkings Boeing 8-29 Superfortress U.S.A.A.F.1942-1945

35p

No.19

YB-29, 41-36857, ill camouflage finis h. White 7 on fin is a 'plane-i n-unit number. (R. Besecker)

THE 8-29 SUPERFORTRESS THE Boeing B-29 Superfortress has a place in popular histories as the bomber that beat Japan . While this is a too generous credit, the B-29 undoubtedly played a major par t in the attainment of victory in the Pacific War throug h its use in the devas tating ai r ra ids on the enemy home land and its delivery of the two ato mic bombs that culmina ted in the Japanese surrender. The Supe rfortress was also the largest and most advanced of the USAAF's heavy bombers to see service in the Second World War and was also the main-stay of the American strategic bombing arm in post-war year s. All told, 105 very heavy bombardment squadrons were in being by the end of hostilities in September 1945, and of these, 61 were on combat status with the Twentieth Air Force in the Pacific war zone and another 6 were about to become operational with the Eighth Air Force which had transferred from England to Okinawa. It is with the wartime colours of this bomber that this part of Camouflage & Markings is concerned. The Prototypes Th ree prot otype Superfortresses were built under the designat ion XB-29 and the first of these was 'rolled out' fro m Boeing's Seatt le plan t in Septem ber 1942. Standard USAA F camouflage finish was applied ' to this aircraft consisting of Dark Olive Dra b (shade 41) on all uppe r surfaces, and Neutral Gray (shade 43) on the lower surfaces. Pro peller bosses and blades were Black (shade 44), and four inches of the tip of each blade were painted in Identification Yellow (shade 48). The current ational Insignia cocarde, which consisted of an Insignia White (shade 46) five-pointed star, superimposed on an Insignia Blue (shade 47) disc, was located on the upper surface of the 146

left wing and on the lower surface of the right wing, centred approximately 210 inches from the tip in both cases . This marking was also applied on both sides of the fuselage about 40 inches aft of an ob crvation 'b lister' window. T he diame ter ofa cocarde on the wing was 60 inches, and on the fuselage 50 inches. T he identifying data for model and seria l number plus fue l and weight requirements were in inch and two inch black block capitals on the left side of the fuselage just below the pilot 's window, while the only large individual aircraft identification marking was the designator or radio-call number painted on both sides of the fin. The number was in the standard Identification Yellow paint and consisted of four figure. each approximately 15 inches high and spaced four inches apart. The top of the number was positioned in line with the central rudder hinges . It was tipulated in Technical Order 07-1-1 that radio-eall numbers should be of not less than four digits , and in this case, as the serial number from which the designator was derived was 4 1-2 (second aircraft budgeted in the 1941 fiscal yea r), two no ughts were added as a prefix to the seco nd part: 1002. The next prot otype, radio-call nu mbe r 1003, was com pleted at the end of 1942 an d was simi lar ly finished to the first XB-29. However , a third prototype, produced in the spring of 1943 and first flown in June that year , was devoid of camouflage, and the radio-call number, 118335, was painted in black on the bare metal

Front Cover: B-29s of the 99th BS,9th BG (top) and 398th BS, 504th BG, August 1945

finish fin, Th is final protot ype was actually preceded by the first of 14 YB-29s from the Boeing Wichita plant which was to be the ma in so urce of production . Thi s aircra ft: 4 1-36954 a nd following YB-29 s were in Dar k Olive Dra b and Neutral Gray camouflage finish, as were the production B-29- I-BW model s pro duced by th is factory prior to December 1943. The radio-call numbers on the Y B-29s were located lower on the fin; on a line approximately six inch es above the bottom rudder hinge. The figures remained 15 inches high by a maximum of 10 inches wide and were spaced four inche apart. Thereafter. the position and ize of radio-call numbers on B-29s from all sources of production hewed little variation. In June 1943, a change in the ationaI Insignia was ordered with a white rectangle being added to both side of the cocarde and the whole device outlined in red . The YB-29 recei ved this revised marking at the factory and the first and third X B-29s (the second era hed in February 1943) had their markings changed to conform to the requirements. Th ereafter, the ize of the I ational Insignia was consi tent from all production ource. Loca tion of 60 inch diameter insignia on the wings remained at the same centre di ranee from the tip. Fuselage insignia were 50 inche! in diameter and the light varia tion in position at each plan t a re detailed in the accompanying drawing.. On ly a few B-29-I-BWs had been man ufact ured by the time a furthe r change in the Nat ional Insignia was advised in Se ptem ber 1943: the substitution o f Insign ia Blue for Insign ia Re d in the outline border of the mark ing. The acceler ated de velopment programme to which the 13-29 was su bjected meant th at man y of the changes found necessary in the light of test flying had to be

/

"Windy co« : a camoufiaged B-29 0/794111 BS. 468111 BG. after a wheels-up landing in Augu st 1944. Red identification bands are paint ed 0 11 repla cement meta l finish rudder. A light er shade 0/ )'1.'/1011' was apparent ly used /01' the numb er '253' . (USAAF)

incorporated in the flow of production aircraft at modification centre . Early B-29s required a considerable number of modifications and this wa very e ident on the camouflage-finished examples, most of which ported metal finish rudders by the middle of 1944. The black rubber de -icer boot wa also removed from the leading edges of wings and tail on these aircraft, leaving a metal fini h strip. One YB- 29 : 41-36954 wa ex perimentally fitted with A llison liquid-cooled engines which, together with the nacelles, were unpai nted. At one stage the aircraft, which was redesign a ted XB-3 9, ha d the name " Spirit of Lincoln", painted o n the nose in white block ca pitals. By the end of 1943, four factories were producing the 13-29: Boein g, Wichita; Bell, Atlanta; Boeing, Renton ; a nd Martin , Om aha; albeit that production did not really get under way a t the latter two plant unt il the following spring. The abandonment of camouflage paint on heavy bombers in late December

B-29-26-BW, 42-2445 6, a veteran bomb er 0/58th BW was return ed 10 the US A early in 1945 and assigned to a training unit , Large 'last /0111" identification number was typical 0/ markings carried by Sup erfortresses in operational training III/its. ( US A F)

147

EARLY MARKINGS OF B-29 UNITS IN THE 20th AF

25 BS . 40 BG

45 BS . 40 BG

770 BS. 462 BG

792 BS . 468 BG

793 BS . 468 BG

(5 8 BW ta il co lo urs. late Oct ober 19 4 4)

44 BS. 40 BG

794 BS. 468 BG

794 BS . 468 BG (August 1944)

677 BS . 444 BG

869 BS . 497 BG

M ike Bailey

A

462nd BC aircraft, serial 42-24505, photographed in October 1944, displayin g black radio-call letter, and rudder painted

ill the squadron colour. (USAF)

1943 saved a co nsiderable num ber of man ho urs on the productio n of a big aircraft like the Superfort ress, plu co t of material and the adver e effects, if slight. on performance from the weight and drag of pa int. Unlike most oth er USAAF aircraft produced with natural metal finish, the B-29 did no t have an ti-dazzle patches on engine units or in the vicinity of the crew cabin. With the cockpit situated in the plexiglass panelled no e of the bomber, troublesome reflection from shining meta l was not a problem. While propeller blades remained black with yellow tips, the bosses were now left unpainted. Rub ber de-icer boo ts o n the fin and tailplane were finished black as were the ra diocall number and all maintenance instructio ns. Warning markings were in red as were fire extinguisher location panels. Many of the earl y B-29s carried special fuselage work record numbers known as 'hull numbers', a nd retained these when in squadro n service. The numbers

were of one to three digits with a lette r prefix a nd hyphen. The letter prefix was usually K bu t a few exa mples had the letter W. Both letter and figures were a pproximately 15 inches high and located on both sides of the forward fueslag e, direc tly below the top turret. Colour of this marki ng was black on me tal finish . 8-29 Unit Establishment The usefu l bo mb loa d of a B-29 was about double that of the B-17 o r B-24, hitherto the USAA F's sta nda rd heavy bombers. The concept of its o pera tion was therefore based on unit establ ishments of appro ximately half the number of B-17 or B-24 formati ons . Initially, seven aircraft were stipulated as the complement of a very hea vy bombardment squa dro n, a nd with four squa d ro ns. a B-29 group had a strength of 28, compared with 56 for a B-17 or B-24 group during this sa me period : ea rly 1944. Howe ver, in co ntrast

By 'ovember 1944. the 444th BC was identifying its lead aircraft by means 0/ diagonal black stripes on the squadron colour band. This B·29. 42-6399. carries the 678th BS emblem on its nose. (USAF)

CPt. ~.

149

ment was flown to forward bases being prepared in China. At the time of the first co mbat missio n which was on 5th Ju ne 1944 to Bangkok, the 44th and 468t h BG s were using simpler forms of individual aircraft identification than the radio-ca ll number. The 444th BG painted black 24 inch high 'plane-ingroup numbers below the radio-call number while the 468th BG repeated the last th ree digits of the radiocall number above it in black characters approximately 30 inches high . For radio communication pu rposes the B-29 force used the radio-call letter system, and during the summer of 1944, the 40th and 462nd BGs also used these individual aircraft letters as a visual means of identification. The letters used by the 40th BG were pai nted below the radio-call number and those of the 462nd BG above the call number. The co lour was black on natu ra l metal finish and the block capital letter was about 60 inches in height . All four groups of the 58th BW had a few camouflaged B-29- I-BWs as initial equipment, and on these aircraft the letters an d numbers were appl ied in white and somet imes yellow. Sur viving camouflaged B-29s, togeth er with early met al finish examples, were classified as 'War Weary' in the winter of 1944-45 and returned to the USA. Th ese identification marki ngs were all gro up spo nso red as were, apparently, the unit ide ntificat ion co lour mar kings that first appeared at the beginning of August 1944. Like the B-17 and B-24s involved in day light operations, B-29s were assembled into gro up for mations of 12 to 24 aircraft in the summer of 1944. To facilitate this assembly of formations and to enable aircraft to join the righ t group more easi ly, bright ma rkings were introduced on vertical tails . T he 40th BG applied four horizontal bands across the top of the fin and rudder and also painted the tail tip, the 462nd BG painted the whole rudder, and the 468th BG applied two diagonal bands to the rudder. The colours used identified the squadrons within each gro up. The 40th BG units were red, yellow, dark blue,

to the preparation and despatch of B-17 and B-24 units from the USA to combat theatres, the B-29 groups were organised from the outset in a wing command, four B-29 groups composing each Bombardment Wing CBW). The first B-29 wing, the 58th BW initially had five groups assigned: the 40th, 444th, 462nd, 468th and 472nd BGs, but the latter was to be the nucleus for a B-29 training organisation and was later transferred . B-29 training was centred on the Kansas area near to the many sources of production and modification centres. From March 1944, this was under the auspices of the 17th Bombardment Operational Training Wing (BOTW) and later, as B-29 crew-training expanded, under the 16th BOTW although this specialized in rep lacement crews. Precise information on the markings used by training B-29s operated by these wings is not available but, for the most part, aircraft were identified either by large two-digit 'plane-onsta tion numbers or last-four-of-serial numbers pa inted on the sides of the nose. By 1944, the USAAF had decided that the B-29 would be employed in operations agai nst the Ja panese ene my. As a ruse to make Ge rma n In telligence believe it might be employed in Europe, the tent h YB-29, 41-36963, flew to the United Kingdom in Apri l 1944 and visited opera tio na l USAAF bases. This aircraft was in fu ll ca mo uflage finish and returned to the US early in the next month. The four groups of the 58th BW were despatched to India by way of Africa in March, ar riving at their operation bases early in April. The B-29 force would operate under an Air Force especially created for the task : the Twentiet h, headquarters of which remained in the US, while operations were conducted by the XX Bomber Command based in India. Ea rly Markings of 58th BW No unit markings were carried by the B-29s of the 58th BW units upon arrival in India , and this remained the case for a number of weeks during which equip-

U.S.A.A.F. NATIONAL INSIGNIA DETAILS

NOTES : TYPE f INT R.ODUCED

TYPE 3

TYPE 2

TYPE 1

I

I

~~ ~:O~:~~T

D

,

APPLIED

SURROUND I 1/16x D WID £: .

SEE NOTES SEE NOTES

~~ .=-.J

~3

~~~~::7~r 13 EQUAL

L= 2 · 07 x C

c( .TYPE ): 4 J

INSIGNIA BLUE

SPAC IN GS .

TO SOME U, I(.. BASED A '~­

IN TRODUCED

29. JUN E /9 4 3

D/AM. OF B LUE DISC TAK EN AS NOMINAL O/A M . 01=' MARKING-. 8 AR NOT CENTRAL ON DI SC ~ UPPER EDGE ALIGNED WITH HORIZONTAL AR M

OF

STAR •

TYPE 4 . INTRODUCED REO

150

20" M IN IMUM

CRAH FROM JUL Y 19 4 2. A LSO USED IN N . AFRiCA LATE 1942. NOT USED IN EITHER A REA A FT ER APR IL 194 3 . T'l'PE 3

MAX. RUDDER WIDTH .

N, OTT-\WI\Y 1971

DIAMETER SPECII='IED

IN CR. EA SrNG 5'1' 5 " STEPS. YELLOW SURROUND SPEC IFIED 2 " WIDE

~~ D

1. JAN . /92\

T'l'PE 2 INTRODUCED /8. AUG . /942

/7 . SEPT. 19 4 3

SAME PROPOR TiO NS A S T YPE 3 . RUDDER MA RKI NG DISCONT IN UE D FROM

AU GUST

19 4 0 .

. ~

Photographed ill Burm a ill January 1945, a 444th BG aircraft with blue squadron band around fuselage and black hull-number all the 1I0se. (Ken S umney)

B-29-20-BW. 42-6418 . K. with the ye llow bands of 44th BS. 40th BG all th e jill 011/.1'. A replacem ent rudder has bee n insta lled and the colour markings han' 1I0t been app lied to it. (U SAAF) "Thunderbird", 42-63454 . X . of 770th BS with the red painted rudder that was used all all 46211d 8 G 8-29.1' front the aut umn of 1944. (Claytall Ziegler)

I

151

B- 29

BASIC PAINTWORK.

CAMOUFLAGE:

APPL IED TO F"IRST TWO XB-2 9'S. ALL Y B-'2 9 s

AND

EARLY PRODUCT ION AIRCRAF"T . PATTERN AS SHOWN . F IRST XB - 2 9 ILLUSTRATE D.

CA LL NUM BER IN THIS POSITIO N ON XB-2 9 5 ONLY .

15 " HIGH.

TA NGEN T

NATIONAL INSIGNIA : (FUSELAGE)

XB-29 A ND Y B-Z9 MO DEL S

TO

NE UTRAL GR AY.

COLOU R DIVIS ION.

ORIGINALLY HAD T YPE '2 IN SIGNIA ON F= USEL AGE AS SHOWN ABOVE. CALL PROD UCTION AIRCRA F T HAD TYPE 4 IN SIG NI A. POSIT ION VARI E D ACCORD ING

~

NUMBER POSITION AND SIZE

F"OR. ALL

PROD UCT ION 8 - '29 S

TO PRODUCT ION SOUR CE .

f. B- '295 PRODUCED AT WICHITA (- sw ) THUS :

o

\

NOTE : IN SIC,N IA INCLI NED A80UT II/2

2. S - '295 PRODUCED AT OM AHA (- MOl

3 .8- '295 PRODUCED AT ATLANTA (- 8 A)

CENTRE APPROX. STA . 756

° TO HORIZONTAL

4. B- 29A 5 PRODUCED AT RENTON (- BN

CENTRE APPRO " . STA. 756

INS IGN IA INCLINED AS ON WICH ITA AIC BUT PLACED ABOUT 3 /1 HIGHER .

DATUM .

CENTRE APPROX. STA. 762

IN SIGNI A PLACED FURT HER AFT.

IN SI GNI A PLACE D

BOT H HORIZ ONTAL AND INCLINED INSIGN IA NOTED ON REN TON BUILT AIRCRAFT .

PARA LLEL TO HOR IZ . DATUM.

NA TlONAL INSIGNIA (WINGS): POSITIONED ON PORT UPPER SURFACE ( SHOWN). SPEC IAL MARKING APPLIE:D UN DE R EACH WING OF AIRCRAF"T ENc,.Ac,.ED IN SUPPLY

AND STARBOARD UNDER SURFACE .

DROPS TO P.o .W CAMPS TO 14 SEPTEMBER 1945 . XB - '29 AND YB-29 MODELS

PRODUCTION AIRCRAl=T \ - - i - -rii

WERE

MARKED ORIGINALLY WITH 60 " DIAMETER TYPE '2 IN SIGNIA.

HAD TYPE 4 INSIGNIA OF" 60 " NOMINAL 01,0. .

'27 A Uc,.UST

STARBOARD UNDERSIDE SHOWN . NOTE LETTERING IS MARKED OVER N~ T IONAL

INS IGNI A .

17 '6" SOME

AI RCRAF T HAD THE \vO RDI NG

READ ING OUTWARD TOWARD WINGTIP .

H.oTTAWAV

152

'972

"To tin ' to Toky o " completed eleven bombing missions with the 79Jrd BS before being re film ed 10 the USA as ' War Weary ' early ill 19-/5. Nicknames of aircraft in the 468t h BG were usuallv painted in the wak e of the st vtired shooting star motif, as depicted here . Squadron colours were used for the embe/lislmte" t -irlthi.~ case dark blue . (U"kllown)

and black; the 462nd's red, yellow", green, a nd blue ; and the 468th's wh ite, da rk blue, red, a nd yellow. The 444th BG used a com pletely d ifferent form of markin g: a large diamond was painted a bove the radio-call number and on this was superimpose d the 'p lane- ingroup number. The colou red band s on 40th BG aircraft tai ls were some 9 inches wide and spaced the same distance apart. A large sca le replacem ent of 8 -29 rudders during the latter part of 1944 foun d most aircraft of the group with the colo ured band s on the fin on ly. On meta l finish 8 -29s of the 444th BG , the group diamo nd sign was in black and the 'plane-in-group numbe r thereon in white. The co lours were reversed o n olive drab painted aircraft. It appears that o rigina lly, each of the four squadro ns of the gro up were given a block of fifteen consecutive numbe rs so that the squa dron to which an aircraft was assigned coul d be told from the individual number. The diagonal rudder bands that identi fied B-29s of the -468th BG were usually a bout 15 inches wide and 30 inches apart, but the size, a ngle a nd location on the rudder varied from one aircraft to anothe r. Both the yellow and the white band s were usua lly bordered with narrow black lines to make the marking more prominent. An improveme nt in the Table of Orga nization for B-29 grou ps was instituted in the aut umn of 1944 when the fourth squadro n in each group was d isbanded on' 12th October. The aircraft and personnel were divided among the othe r squad rons, and at the same time the un it estab lishment of a B·29 squad ron was raised from seven to ten aircraft. Thi s brought about some mar kings change s. The 462nd BG painted the rudders of all its aircraft red, and distinguished the squadron assignment by the addition of a 60 inch high numeral painted in black below the radio-call number . T his was "l ' for the 768th BS,' 2' for

the 769,h BS a nd "3' for the 770,h BS. In the 468th BG where the 7951h BS was to d isband, physica lly j( was the aircraft and perso nnel of the 794th BS that were dispersed, the 795th BS being renu mbered 794t h BS bu t reta ining the co lour yellow previou sly used o n its ai rcraft (as the 795th 8S) . At a bout this time, the 444th BG began identifying its squadro ns by co lour mark ings in the form of a 24 inch band enci rcling the fuselage between the rea r of the aft bomb-bay an d the side blisters. It is not clear if the fourth sq uadron of the gro up, the 679th BS, was given a co lour band before its disbandmen t, but it is a ppa ren t that the a ircraft numbers were not immediately cha nged after assignment to the other three units of the gro up. The need 10 ident ify a flight leader a ircraft - which usually carried the lead crew who sighted fo r fo llowing bombers-bro ught add itio nal ma rkings. The 444th BG painted d iago nal black bars on the sq uad ro n A broken B-29 of 25th BS . -/Oth BG with the bla ck 'plattein -group "limber 10 011 its rear fuselage , while still retaining the col/leiter K and red unit markings 011 its tail. This. mos t probably, was att intennediate stage during the revis ion of mar k ings after tile 58th BW moved to Tinton. (Richard M . K n ' fI(lII)

153

Typical of early 73rd 8W markin gs are those display ed hy 42-65231 of Zlst 8S, 497th 8G , as it tak es off fro m Saipan ill N ovember 1944, The last fo ur digits of the radio-call number have been pain ted 0 1/ the rudder in iicu of the f ull f actory applied number which has been erased to mak e way fo r the unit markings. (US AAFJ

band s to distingui sh such ai rcraft as "le ad 'planes," and the 40th and 462nd BGs used a broad black band, about 30 inches wide, pain ted vertically on the dorsa l fin. Earl y Markings of 73rd and 313rd BWs. T he four grou ps of Superfor tresses based in India operated with the marki ngs just described until moving to the Mari ana Islands in the western Pacific during April 1945. The second B-29 wing to complete its training was sent to Saipan in the island group during the autumn of 1944, becoming operational at the end of Octo ber. This was the 73rd BW composed of the 497th, 498th, 499th and SOOth BG s wit h three

73 AD BOMB. WING - IDENTIFICATION

squadrons apiece. From the outset, it was recognised that some form of unit marking was necessary to facilitate identification during assembly, and the 73rd BW therefore initiated a simple and neat system using the Superfort resses' huge fins a nd rud de rs as sign boards. Each grou p in the wing was ass igned a different letter : 'A' for the 497th, 'T' for the 498th. 'y' for the 499th and 'Z' for the SOOth. This was painted in block capital form towards the top of the fin and was 36 inches high . The wing marking was a square, and this was a pplied in outline form 15 inches below the group letter and was of similar dimensions. The indi vidual aircraft within the group was given a number between I and 20 for the first squadron, 21

MARKINGS

GROUP L ETT ER

OCT, 1944 - MA RCH 1945.

AIRC RAF'T

NUM BER

497 TH.

313TH

60MB . GP.

498

TH. 80MB . GP.

BOMB . WING - IDENTIFICATI ON MARKINGS

499 TH.

60MB . Gp.

SOO TH. BOMB. GP,

FEB. - MARCH 19 4 5 .

A IRCRA F T

"l UMB E.R

6 TH. 154

BOMB. GP.

9 TH.

6 0 "'l B. GP.

504 TH

60 1'.1 6. GP.

505

TH. 60M8 . GP.

Superfortresses of the 48211d and 483rd BSs photographed 011 19th April. 1945. while st ill carrying the fir st 505th BG identification letter (K) and the 313th BW triangle marking, ( Kingsbury Browne, Jr .)

B-29-15-MO. 42-65224 of878th BS with tail markings as carried ill January; 1945. (US A A F) 8-29 of the 499th BG gleams ill the SI ll/ while jfyillg high above the Pacific. Although the identification markings show Uf' clearly ill this photograph , they werl!found difficult to distinguish at distan ces beyond a half-mile. (USAAF )

155

and 40 for the second and 41 and 60 for the third, and this was painted 15 inches below the wing marking with its base in line with the bottom of the rudder. The height of the figures was 30 inches but there was often a slight vari ation in the measurements of these markings. At first there were only about ten aircraft per squadron, but in December the complement was raised to fifteen . Even so, the numbers at the end of a squadron sequence were rarely used (i.e, 19, 20, 39, 40, 59 and 60). In applying these markings it was first necessary to erase the rad io-call number, but it was the practice to paint the last four digit s of this number (most of the original combat aircraft of the 73rd BW had six digit numbers) a bove the top of the trim tab on the rudder. The figures were usually 12 inches high, and the number was frequently inclined upward s, being based on a panel line. The colour of all these markings was black . None of the 73rd BWs combat aircraft were camouflaged. The use of a geometric device to identify a wing, and a letter to identify a group within that wing, had origin ate d in the Eigh th Air Force in Eur ope, but the scheme used by the 73rd BW was different insofar as the letter was not encompassed by the symb ol as it was on the Eighth's B-l7s and B-24s. Th e third wing to become operational , the 313th BW, also used this form of marking . Its groups arrived on Tinian early in 1945 and began flying combat mission s in Fe bruary. The wing was composed of two pre-war bombardment groups, the 6th and 9th BGs, and two brand-new groups, the 504th and 505th. Tail markings con sisted of a letter for the group, an outline triangle for the 313th BW and a number denoting the individual aircraft in consecutive runs of twent y numbers for each squa dron - as in the 73rd BW . With 313th BW aircraft, however, the radio-call number was not Despite the thorough job made by 73rd BW personnel in removing the original black paint radio-call number on 42-24668, the figures still show plainly on the stained metal. The significance of the fi lled-in 73rd B W square symbol is not k nown to the author. but may possib ly be an early fo rm of 'lead ship' mark ing. (USAF)

156

The 3 I3th B W did not remove or obscure th e radio-call number on its aircraft with the first markings sys tem which was along the lines of that used by the 73rd B W . The B-29 in this photograph is a l st BS aircraft aft er an emerge ncy landing on Iwo l ima early in M arch 1945. (US AAF)

erased , the wing symbol being slightly higher, and the individual aircr aft number slightly lower on the fin to avoid the radio-call. The height of the group letter was usually 36 inches, and the wing triangle and aircraft number varied between 30 a nd 36 inches. Introduction of a Standardised Markings Scheme Following closely behind the 313th BW came the 314th BW , the fourth B-29 wing sent into action and the third in the Marianas. In fact, the first two groups of thi s wing, the 19th and 29th BG s, became operational a bout the same time as groups of the 313th BW although the other two groups, the 39th and 330th BGs , did not begin combat for some weeks. Another new wing, the 315th BW , was schedu led to arr ive in April and the 58th BW also tran sferred its combat groups to the Marianas in that month . With twent y combat groups under its command , XXI Bomber Command ado pted a sta ndardised system of unit identific ation markings for its B-29s. The markings employed by the 73rd and 313th BWs had been found wanting in that they were not large enough to enable an aircraft's unit to be clearl y identified beyond three-quarters of a mile in good visibility. Alread y, some experimental schemes had been tried out by ind ividu al unit s using large ' plane-in-gro up numbers, but the important ma rk ings were those identifying the group and wing to enable assembling B-29's to join the right formation. The new scheme therefore made use of as great an area of the 8- 29's vertical tail as possible. Wing symbols were to be painted 10 to 12 feet high and wide and with a group letter within this device, a bout five or six feet in size. The strokes of the letters and the wing markings were from 12 to 18 inches 'thick'. The 58th BW would use a triangle, the 313th a circle, the 314th a squ are, the 315th a diamond, and the 73rd BW would use a letter without an y geometric marking. The new wing markings did not take into account the previous symbols in use. The 73rd had been associated with a square but was now to have no symbol. The 3l3th was to change from a triangle to a circle, while the 314th BW, which had apparently been in the process of painting a black disc marking on its aircraft, was to have the square. The group letters formerly in use by the 73rd BW were retained, although in the new form they took up 12 feet of the vertical tail. In the 313th BW, the 9th and 504th BGs retained their

sa TH .

BOMB. WING IDENTII=ICATION MARKINGS.

APRIL 194 5

444

TO V-J DAY. COLOUR OF' BAND INDICATED Sq UADRON.

TH . BOMB. GROUP .

ALL AIRCRAn SHOWN #~~- C O L O U R

INDICATED SQUADRON.

ON THIS PAGE WERE IN NATURAL METAL

40TH.

FINISH.

BOMB. GRP.

468

462

TH. BOMB. GRP.

Ale

D. BOMB . GROUP .

CALL LETTEll AND SQUADRON - IN · GROUP NUM BER .

7311.0. BOMB. WING IDENTIFICAT ION MARKINGS. APRIL 194 5 TO V- J DAY.

497 TH .

BOMB. GROUP .

B- '29 -40-BW . 41 - '24623 . 'THUMPER'

498TH . BOMB . GP.

!J

B· 29 - 20 - BA . 41 - 63461

499 TH.

BOMB. GP.

AI. OTTAWAY

'972

157

The earl y E marking on a 504th BG B-29 ...ith nose insignia in honour of an airfield construction regiment , (Guido S affola)

-. Revised markings used bv 500th BG under the standardised scheme . Group letter 'Z' was noll' /3 2 inches high and was discernablc on a Superfortress from a distan ce of o l'er tll'O mill's. Part ofthe erased original unit markings still sho s, (U S A A F) Boeing 8-295 and B-29A ,I' of the 314th BlY shortly aft er arri val on Guam and bef ore any linit markin gs ere applied, Manufacturing processes. and different alloy s caused variation in the appearance of bare metal components. (U SA A F )

158

'" \ -

-

.:

The 3/ 4th B IV used a 'solid' square symbol in contrast to the outline forms used by other wings. The lett er P was formed by blanking off the bare metal before painting the black square on this 60th BS , 39th B IV aircraft. (tarry Griffin)

original letters : X and E respecti vely, but the 6th and 505th BGs which had used L and K, received the letters R and W. The cha nge was proba bly made because of the likelihood of confusion between the circled letter K- and X, and Land E when viewed from a distan ce. T he choice of [etters R and W provided mo re distinct form s. A complete list of group letters can be found on page 166. The colour of all these tail markings was black. The 3l3th BW groups painted their circle marking in outline form , as later did the 58th BW with its triangle and the 315th with its diamond, but the 314th BW preferred a solid form of marking. The letters were usually form ed by blanking ou t the letter shape on the bare aluminium before spraying the black square. Howe ver, there were a few examples of a white letter superimposed on the black square. As mentioned previously, a vita l need in assem bling a formation was the ability to identify lead crew bombers so that following aircraft could form up behind the correct B-29. Th e broad black vertical band on the dorsal fin, a marking originating in the 58th BW, was adopted as the general means of indicating a flight lead aricraft, but there were some moreornamental variations used by indi vidual groups.

Finally, under the scheme, the new groups used indi vidual aircraft identifica tion numbers with consecutive ru ns of twent y or twent y-five num bers to each squadro n, a lthough the higher numbers in a squa dro n run were ra rely used. Th e num bers were to be pai nted on the rear fuselage in black and the general height was 36 inches . The application of the se markings entailed a considerable number of man-hours and the work . naturally, could not impede operations. It took several weeks for the whole cherne to be fully instituted . and during thi s period (mid April-early May 1945) many aircraft flew on missions with a mixture of old and new markings. When the 58th BW arrived on Tinian in Apr il, its new triangle markin gs were often superimposed on the old colou r markings. With the sta ndardised mark ings system, radi o-call numbers were oblitera ted or removed . but in man y cases the 73rd BW's abbreviated form on the rudder remained on its old aircraft, while in the 314th BW, parts of the or iginal number were often still visible. In the 315th BW, howe ver, it was common practice to paint the last three or four dig its of the number on the lower part of the fin. In the case of three figure numbers the size was about 9 inches high, but for four

"The Herd of Bald Goats" was the strange nickname of this 482nd BS Sup erfortress with the Circle-W insignia and bright green tail tip of the 505th BG. (Via Larry Griffin)

159

315 TH. 80MB . WING IDENTIFICATION MARKINGS . MAY 1945

All

TO V-J DA Y .

IG

TH _80MB . GROUP

Ale

ON THIS PAGE IN

THIS WING WAS ENGAGED IN NIGHT BOMBING AND

NATURAL METAL F IN ISH

MOST AIReR"FT WERE GIVEN

EXCEPT A5

MATT EH.ACI( UNDERSIDES.

NOTED .

50 15T

8-29B- 50- 8A 44-83987 .

331

ST BOM8. GROUP .

3 14 TH BOMB . WING IDENTIFICATION MARK INGS. APR I L

19 4 5

19

TO V-J DAY .

TH BOMB . GROUP .

B- 2 9 A - 25 - Bioi

4 2 - 94026

39

29

TH BOM B. GP.

330 TH

BOMB -, GP.

TH BOM B. GROUP. 1/. OTTAWAY

160

19 12 .

TIl(' 462nd 8G retain ed the red rudder mark ing on its 8 -29.1' aft er the mo ve to Tin ian and the introduction 0/ the Triangle-U device. The individual aircraft call lett er and squadron-in-group number scheme used in the China ! Burma llndia thea tre lI'ere perpetuated all the outer engine cowling s, A ircraft of this group also carried the unofficial group emblem on the righ t-hand side 0/ the nose, Inscribed " Hellbirds: With Malice Toward S om e " , it fea tured a black plan silhouett e 0/ a 8 -29 superimposed Oil a ye llow fl ash and red globe. The aircraft in the photograph is 44-61639, a 8- 29A. (Clay ton Ziegl er)

figure numbers the size was quite large, usually 36 inches high. It is believed that a ircraft with the latter type of disp lay were 'leadships'. The 40th BG retai ned the sq uadro n co lo ur o n the tail tip, and the 444th kept its coloured squadron band round the fuselage. 468th BG aircraft with the two diagonal rudder ba rs d id not ha ve the se deleted, but apparen tly, the col ours were no longer a pplied to replaceme nt a ircra ft. In the 462nd BG, the radiocall number, ai rcraft letter and sq uad ro n number were erased , but the red rudder usually remained with part of the Triangle-U superimposed upon it. Fo r a

peri od , the ai rcra ft letter a nd sq uad ro n number were ca rried on the sides of the outboard engine cowlings . Individualistic Group Ma r kings There were, inevitably, severa l other marking trends that were fostered in ind ividu al groups between the intro d uctio n of the sta nda rd ised markings system and the end of hosti litie in mid Augu st. The normal location for the indi vidu al a ircra ft number was the rear fuselage, a ft of the ational Insignia, but towards the end of the war , it was repeated on the forward part of the nose of the 73rd BW B-29s in

Final wartime identification markings 0/ the 498th BG are carried by this Superfortress of the group's 873rd BS . The 'planein-group number '5 ' is carried a ll both the 110 .1'1' and rear fuse lage , while the 498th's huge lett er 'T' dominates the tail area. (USA F)

161

Forty-f our black bomb symbols record the missions f lown by " Doc 's Deadl y Dose " with the 504th BG. Yellow and black leader markin gs have been partly removed, suggesting a change of sta tus. ( W. AlcavagejT, Barnet collec tio n s

similar or sligh tly smaller figures. T he 40th BG in the 58th BW also adopted th i prac tice. In th e 314th BW, the group ma rking and the ai rcraft number were often placed on the outer engine cowli ngs, In the 19th BG. the letter had no square backing whereas the 29th BG u ed a miniature form of the ta il de vice. Colo ur was gene rally a bsen t fro m th e massive Superfortresses of the Twent ieth A ir Force, but with the introduction of the lar ge circle markings, the 313th BW also adopted colour flashes for each ofits groups. The 6th BG use red, the 9th BG white, the 504th deep yellow a nd the 505th bright green. The colour was applied to the fin tops, and a band, approximately 22 inche s wide, was painted around all but the bottom 60 degrees of the centre of each engine cowl ing. The 313th BW a lso developed its own lead ' pla ne markings which were far more conspicuous than the single black bar on the dorsal fin used in other wings, It took the form of three broad bands - black, yellow, black - painted completely round the dorsal fin and rear fuselage. The 6th BG, however, apparently still favoured the orthodox black bar marking. Night Camouflage From March 1945, the Superfortresses were turning more and more to night bombing attacks on Japanese targets. Searchlights were a problem, particularly as the bare metal finish tended to show up far too easily when a beam was in the vicinity of an aircraft. In

con sequence, a programme of sp raying the undersides of B-29s with black was commenced in most uni ts but was finally concentrat ed in the 315th BW which was pecificall y cha rged with night o perations against the Ja pa ne e petroleum oil industry. \ hile the re a re rep orts of the black paint, normally applied for iden tifica tion markings, being used for this purpose, the mater ial generally applied was Jet 622, a high-gloss black with reflection properties tha t did no t expose a spotligh ted aircraft in the way matt co lours did. Jet 622 had been de veloped for night fighters where its mirror finish had proved invalu a ble for esca ping detection . On B-29s, the black pa int was usuall y brought approx ima tely half-w ay up the sides of the fuselage and engine cowlings although there was considerable variation in the degree of application . A number of late replacement aircraft, arriving in the Marianas from the US, had received black undersides at depots . The 509th Composite Group During the autumn of 1944, one of the original squadrons of the 504th BG was taken for training as a special unit and assigned to the 509th CG (Composite Group), so termed because it was composed of one hea vy bombardment squadron and a supporting troop-carrier qu adron with Douglas C-54 aircraft. The Group's highl y secret mission was to train for the dropping of a to mic bombs, and in May 1945, it took up stat ion in Tin ian to prepare for the momentous

"Enola Gay " of the 393rd BS, with mark ings as carried during the fi rst atomic bomb miss ion, 6th Augus t 1945. (R. Beseck er)

162

313 TH BOMB. WING IDENTIFICATION MARKINGS. 194 5

APR IL

WHITE --J~~~

TO V- .J DAY.

'LEAD CREW' MARK ING

9 TH

I

BLACK ! VELLOW BLACK

BOMB . GRoUP .

RED -

6

---;4Ii!11JWllj!IWIlh,

TH BOMB . GRP.

GREEN

505 TH ALL

AIRC~AFT

BOMB . GROUP.

ON THIS

PAGE ARE IN NATU~AL METAL FIN ISH .

509 TH COMPOSITE

GROUP.

ATTACHED TO 313 TH W ING J UNE

8-29 - 45- MO 44 - 86292 'ENOLA GAY'

3RD

Reo

ARROWHEAD MARK IN(; WAS REMovED DURING JULY 1945 FROM SOME A IRCRAFT AND

1945

1I\

M ARKI NGS OF OTHER 6 - 29/~1""• • GROUPS SUBST ITUTED.

<:» THIS AIRCRAFT CARRIED TAIL MARKING AS FOR 6TH 8.G . DURING JULY AND AUG . 1945 .

PHOTO RECONNAISSANCE

F-13A -40 - 6W

SQUADRON.

'YOKOHI\MA YO-YO'

42- 24621

N . OTTAWAY

"F2

163

" Enola Gay " with the 509th CG arrowhead device as applied aft er the end of hostilities, Tail tip was red. (USAF )

introduction of this weapon to warfare. The group adopted a very distinctive tail insigne consisting of the 313th BW circle marking (the 509th CG was attached to this wing for support) with a bold, forward pointing arrow-head therein . However, the desire to keep the existence of this special unit from Japanese Intelligence caused the removal of this device in July and the fifteen B-29s of the 509thCG received markings used by other groups in the Twentieth Air Force instead. The tail markings used were the Circle-R of the 6th BG, the Square-P of the 39th BG, the Triangle-N of the 444th BG and the Plain A of the 497th BG . It is believed that each of these markings was applied to three aircraft of the 509th CG . The reasoning behind this deception was that reconnaissance flights by pairs of B-29s were often made over or near Japan, and that the use of existing unit marks would disguise any pre-strike sorties found necessary for the 509th's aircraft to make. In fact, the unit also engaged in a few normal bombing operations with other units before the first atomic drop. The 331.1"t BG '" Diamond-L marking on aircraft number 9 of the 355th BS. It was normal practice to remove the factor y applied call number ill the 3 15th BW, but oft en the last three or fo ur digits were then paint ed on the lower fin. This B-29 carries '905' in fig ures approximatel y 9 inches high , near the lower point of the wing diamond. (R obert Louden)

While some of the tail markings were not quite in line with those of true units a nd could be identified as false by an expert, there was an additional clue to true identity through the individual aircraft numbers used . Unlike aircraft in other groups where these numbers were either below 70 or 75, the group's 393rd BS's aircraft were numbered between 72 and 95 (eleven known numbers are 72, 73, 77, 82, 83, 85, 86, 88, 89, 91 and 95). The number wa s painted in the normal size and position on the rear fuselage and also on the nose, ju st aft of the bombardier's window, in figures approximately 15 inches high . After the dropping of the atomic bombs on 6th and 9th August 1945 by "Enola Gay", 44-86292, '82' wearing Circle-R; and "Bockscar", 44-27297, '77' wearing Triangle-N, the 509th Composite Group reverted to its own group device of an arrow-head in a circle. The marking was to be sustained by the group during its immediate post-war existence. 3rd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron A unique Superfortress unit, operating on attachment to the Twentieth Air Force from November 1944, was the 3rd PRS (Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron), equipped with the Superfortress photographic version, the F-13A. It was , in fact, an aircraft from this squadron which on 9th November 1944 was the first Superfortress to fly over Tokyo . Aircraft of the unit were identified by the letter F, pa inted high on the fin and also on the nose. The usual size Aircraft number 5 0/ the 15th BS, 16th BG landing all Northwe st Field, Guam . Underside 0/ this B-29 has been spray ed with a high-gloss Mack. (R obert Louden)

-

REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLES OF STANDARDISED UNIT MARKINGS IN THE 20th AF

24 BS , 6 BG , 313 BW

881 BS, 500 BG, 73 BW

28 BS , 19 BG , 314 BW

21 BS; 501 BG , 315 BW M ik e Bailey

The crew of "Yokohama Yo-Yo" pose beside the aircraft which is designated F-13A-40-BW, and numbered 42-24621. The lett er F was the 3rd Photographic Squadron's identifica tion marking and was carried on both nose and tail. Camera svmbols are for photographic reconnaissance missions tire aircraft has comp leted. (USAAF)

B-29 GROUP AND SPECIAL UNIT MARKINGS Tail Markings from April 1945 onwards Plain Diamond Circle Plain Diamond Triangle Square

A

B E

F H I K

497 BG 16 BG 504 BG 3 PRS 502 BG 468 BG 330 BG

Diam on d Square Triangle Square Square Circle Triangle

L M 0 P

R S

331 BG 19 BG 444 BG 29 BG 39 BG 6 BG 40 BG

Plain Triangle Plain Circle Circl e Diamond Pla in

Y Z

6 BG 498 BG 499 BG

Triangle Sq uare

Z

T U V W X

498 462 499 505 9 501 500

BG BG BG BG BG BG BG

73 BW and 313 BW Tail Markings prior -to late April 1945 Square Tri an gle Tr ian gle

A E K

497 BG 504 BG 505 BG

T ria ngle Squ are Square

L

T V

X

9 BG 500 BG

58 BW SQUADRON COLOURS 25 BS 44 BS 45 BS 395 BS 676 BS 677 BS 678 BS 679 BS 768 BS

166

40 40 40 40 444 444 444 444 462

BG BG BG BG BG BG BG BG BG

Red Yellow Blue Black (disbanded 10,44) Red ? Yellow? Blue ? ? (disbanded 10.44) Red ?

769 BS 770 BS 771 BS 792 BS 793 BS 794 BS

462 462 462 468 468 468

BG BG BG BG BG BG

795 BS

468 BG

Yellow? Blue ? Green? (disbanded 10.44) White Da rk Blue Red (to 10.44) Yellow (from 10.44) Yellow (disba nded 10.44)

o f these letters was about 36 inches high on the tail , and the colou r was blac k. Personal Insignia Th e large a nd 'clea n' a rea on the side of the nose of the 8 -29 lent itself as an idea l a rt ist's 'ca nvas' for flam boyant a rtwo rk. Th e perso nal moti fs an d n icknames were o n a gra nd sca le, wit h pa inting s exte ndi ng six to eight feet on some air craft. The se decorations tended more and more towards the vulga r with the aim among the enthusiastic promote rs (usua lly the airc rew) a nd the a rt ists (genera lly so me talented mem bers of the ground organ izat io n) to get as ' near to the bone' as they co uld. About May 1945, command officers fel t it was time to mo ve, a nd steps were tak en to curb the ac tivities. In the 73rd BW, this culm ina ted in an order to remove a ll no se art, but as a sop to morale , m ission symbo ls a nd nicknames could be retained in approved form. Nick na mes had to be painted in blac k ca pita ls on a sta nda rdised Wing mo tif which consisted o f a yellow flash over a winged ball in black . In the 3 13th BW, each grou p had its own nose de vice. T he 6th BG had a large an d detai led replica of its official insignia fea tur ing a pirate' s hea d on both sides o f the nose. Nicknames, in moder ate form, were painted aft o f these markin gs. The 504th BG used a black ball with yellow streamer. In the 58th BW' s 468th BG , nic kname s were co nfined to the ta il of a shooting sta r marki ng. The 314th and 315th BWs were, however, not so particular, an d uncensored artwork flourished on ma ny ai rcraft until the end of the wa r. Several u nits d isplayed their official sq uadron badges on the no ses of 8 ·29s, particularl y in the 58th BW. Like USAA F bombers in other theatres. the 8-29s carried their o pera tio na l records in the form of painted symbols o n the left side of their noses. Bomb sha pes were for bo mbing mission s, so me times in two different colou rs to d isting uish daylight and night This nickname 1t';I}, a double meaning embellishes the black-pointed II0.H· sec tion {I 3151h BW Supertor tress .

or

T!Ii., hmllbarclmt'II I II';IIg did 1101 have

d

restric tive poticy

on nick names during hostilities, (Robert Loudi'II)

,

• • .. 11111

1/11'/11/

"" -

~

----

.:T.;;;;::::=-.--..

Nose ma ll/ carried by all 73rt! BW 8-29s fro m the slimmer of /9 45. A ircra ft nicknames , when bestowed. were confined 10 the yellow flas h of this design. (U S AAF)

opera tion s, while th ose a ircraft en gaged in ae rial mine-laying sometimes signified thi s with a d ifferent bomb sha pe. There were a lso some high ly original fo rms of symbo l for reco rdi ng missions. Enemy ai rcra ft destroyed claims were recorded with sma ll red an d whit e Japanese flag symbo ls, and the early ' trucking' missions into China by ca mel silhouettes. La te in th e wa r , a fire hazard warning was painted on the nosewheel doors of most B-29s, and probably the order (da te not asce rtai ned) required thi s on all aircraft. The wo rding read : " No smoking within 100 feet" and was painted in red capi ta ls. As th is was generally applied by ground crew s, the style, size an d location va ried from unit to unit and aircraft to ai rcraft. At the en d of the wa r, the 8-29 force was engaged in ferry ing prisoners of wa r fro m various locations in the western Pacific. Fo r thi s mission, " P.W . Sup plies" was painted in block capita ls o n the und erside s of the wings. The colo ur was black and ph otographs sho w that these ma rkings were app lied facing bo th forwards and backwa rds relative to the lead ing edge of the wings. Eighth Air Force At the time of the Japa nese notice o f surrender, ano ther 8 -29 wing, the 316th BW, was abo ut to commence ope ration s from bases in Okinawa with two groups. Th is was the first of the wings assigne d to the Eighth Air Force, recen tly removed from Great Britain. Little information is available o n the markings carried by these a ircraft but it is understood that the y involved colour ban ds on the vertica l ta il. © Roger A. Freeman. Acknowledgements A con siderable amoun t of the information on unit markings is based on original research by Kenn C. Ru st pub lished in AA HS Journal so me yea rs ago . Kenn Rust also provided additional material on the B·29 markings, and without his co- ope rati on thi s pu blicat ion wo uld not have been po ssible. Imperial War Museum an d AA YS, USA F Washington . Bibliograph y AA lfS Journal for Winter and Autumn 1962, and Au tum n 1964, Bomber M ark ings of 20th Air Force. Kenn C. Ru st.

167

• \t'\

, \H

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-.. ,..

r '\'\\:\

.,.... . "

I

.1 Camel silhouette symbols M'tU used on 581hB W aircraft 10 signin'j/ights o"er the 'hump' between India and China. (USAAF) The higMy decorative record of " Thumper" , 42-24623 , 'command slrip' of the 87GI}, BS . 497rh BG. Japanese Jlags indicate enemy aircraft claimed as destroyed on missions. The names 0/ CUk'men OTt' painted near 'h eir station in the aircraft. (Via Crock er Snow)

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II Copyright Ducimus Boo ks limited , london , England.

Printed in Eng land.